Imagine a personal trainer who never takes a day off, adapts to your every move, and knows exactly what you need to crush your fitness goals. Technology touches every part of our lives, so it’s no surprise that AI is stepping into the gym to transform how we work out. 

And that’s a good thing! Based on physical activity data during the COVID-19 pandemic, research in Translational Behavioral Medicine concluded that using workout apps can help lessen the decline in physical activity among American adults, potentially reducing the health risks associated with being sedentary.

From virtual personal trainers to smart workout apps, AI is revolutionizing fitness — making workouts more personalized, efficient, and fun than ever before. Here are some of the best workouts and apps powered by AI leading the way into the future of fitness.

What Are AI Workouts?

AI workouts use artificial intelligence to create fitness routines tailored to each person's goals, fitness level, and preferences. By taking into account factors like fitness level, available equipment, workout duration, and preferred exercise type(s), AI-powered apps or platforms design custom workout plans that adapt as you progress. This means that as you improve, your workouts become more challenging and can shift with your evolving goals, whether you’re aiming for weight loss, muscle gain, or overall health.

Best AI Workouts

Whether you're looking for a virtual fitness coach or an advanced home gym system, these AI-driven workout platforms bring personalized training to the next level, adapting to your unique goals and progress.

ChatGPT

While not your typical fitness app, ChatGPT brings a whole new level of personalization to your workout routine. With its ability to engage in dynamic conversations, ChatGPT offers real-time support, whether you’re looking for workout suggestions, progress feedback, or guidance on technique.

To get started, share your fitness goals (e.g., weight loss, strength building, or endurance), preferred workout types (e.g., cardio, strength training, or yoga), and available equipment (e.g., dumbbells, resistance bands, or no equipment). You can also mention any preferences for workout duration, frequency, and intensity.

It’s important to note, however, that ChatGPT shouldn’t be considered a replacement for healthcare and fitness professionals, as pointed out by an article from Biology of Sport that was co-authored by 33 researchers. This is particularly important for people with any physical or cognitive limitations or injuries they need to account for.

Tonal

Tonal isn’t just any home gym — it’s a smart, AI-powered system that combines digital weights with personalized coaching for optimal strength training. Its digital weights use electromagnetic resistance on a pulley system (like a gym cable machine or Bowflex home gym) to adjust the load during your workout.

Using advanced machine learning, Tonal assesses your performance during each session, provides form feedback, and suggests targeted exercises to help you strengthen specific muscle groups as well as tracks your overall progress across weeks and months (or years!).

Tempo

If you prefer a more traditional home gym setup with free weights, Tempo offers high-quality, instructor-led workouts using dumbbells and barbells, as well as body-weight sessions. It uses 3D camera technology to track your movements and offers real-time feedback on your form (e.g. “Keep your knees pointing forward,” or, “Draw your elbows into your sides”). 

As you progress, Tempo’s AI learns from your performance, adjusting the suggested amount of weight to lift or reps to perform to fit your goals — whether you’re building strength or boosting cardio.

Best AI Workout Apps

While platforms like Tonal and Tempo offer powerful workout experiences, they’re also expensive and take up quite a bit of space. But AI workout apps bring personalized fitness directly to your phone, offering flexibility and accessibility for every workout.

Freeletics

Whether you’re using bodyweight or equipment-based workouts, Freeletics uses AI to create a personalized Training Journey. You’ll provide your Coach with insights about who you are and what you’re aiming for. And from there, you can integrate your workouts into your schedule, choosing when, where, and how you want to train. 

Whether you’re working out indoors or outdoors, with equipment or just your body weight, for 15 minutes or an hour, Freeletics offers flexibility to fit your lifestyle. Each session — from warmup to cooldown — is customized to align with your goals, and as you progress, you can give feedback to your Coach, ensuring your workouts evolve with you.

Aaptiv

If you love the sound of a personal coach in your ear, Aaptiv is here to deliver. This audio-guided workout app uses AI to personalize every session, offering everything from running to strength training. 

To start, you’ll select your objective(s), such as running, strength training, or flexibility. The app then suggests some of its thousands of classes, each led by certified trainers. Whether you’re on the treadmill, lifting weights, or doing yoga, Aaptiv’s dynamic audio sessions provide clear instructions and motivation to ensure you get the most out of every sweat session.

Fitness AI

Fitness AI is all about strength training, providing workouts tailored to your experience and goals. Upon signing up, you’ll input your fitness level, preferences, and the equipment you have access to, allowing the AI to create a customized training plan just for you. 

The app tracks your sets, reps, and rest times, providing detailed insights to help you optimize your performance. Whether you’re at home or in the gym, Fitness AI helps you push your limits with workouts that are designed to match your capabilities and goals, offering both progressive overload and recovery recommendations for optimal muscle growth.

Fitbod

Think of Fitbod as your AI trainer. It generates workouts and plans that make you feel like you have a personal trainer in your pocket. Whether you’re working with free weights or machines, Fitbod creates personalized routines based on your fitness level, available equipment, and recovery needs. The app tracks your progress, adjusts for muscle fatigue, and ensures variety in your workouts, helping you avoid plateaus and build muscle while keeping things fresh and challenging.

8fit

Looking for a fitness app that combines workouts with nutrition? 8fit does just that, offering personalized plans that include both exercise and meal planning. 

The app offers a wide variety of workouts to match your fitness goals, from high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and strength training to yoga and flexibility exercises. Whether you’re using dumbbells, resistance bands, or just your body weight, each workout is tailored to your level and preferences.

8fit offers a variety of healthy, easy-to-make recipes designed to complement your fitness goals and dietary preferences. Their recipe collection includes nutrient-dense meals that fuel your workouts and ensure you’re getting the right macronutrients without compromising on flavor or convenience.

Planfit

Planfit offers customized workout routines powered by AI that adjust to your individual goals and fitness level. The app’s AI evaluates your input and gradually increases the difficulty, variety, and intensity of your workouts. 

The app also provides real-time feedback and progress updates, making it easy to see how you’re improving. But Planfit doesn’t just track progress — it also provides feedback and motivation, helping you stay on track and continually improve as you work toward your fitness goals.

Pros and Cons of AI Workouts

Pros

• Personalized: AI workouts are tailored to your goals, fitness level, and preferences. As you advance, the algorithms adapt and modify your workouts, introducing new exercises, adjusting intensity, and incorporating variations to take the guesswork out of working.

• Convenient: No need to book appointments with a trainer or schedule gym visits — your workout is always ready when you are. As the aforementioned Biology of Sport article points out, this gives more widespread access to people who can’t afford a personal trainer or gym membership. 

• Easy to Track: Many AI platforms allow you to track your progress, offering real-time feedback on your performance. And over time, you can see improvements in strength, endurance, and body composition.

• Variety: AI workouts can introduce a wide range of exercises and routines to keep things fresh. Whether it’s strength training, HIIT, or yoga, the variety keeps workouts interesting and challenging, preventing boredom and plateaus.

• Motivation: Whether it’s a congratulatory message for completing a workout, encouragement to push yourself, or a reminder to not skip your workout, AI can provide real-time feedback, helping you stay motivated.

Cons

• Lack of Human Interaction: Without personalized guidance from a trainer or the ability to address specific concerns in real time, you may miss out on certain nuances that a human coach can offer. 

• Inconsistent Quality: Not all AI workout programs are created equally. Some apps may lack the depth of knowledge or offer generic routines, which could lead to subpar results or less effective workouts, especially for beginners, those with specific fitness goals, or people with disabilities or injuries.

• Potential for Error or Injury: While AI can provide feedback, it may not always catch form mistakes or recommend adjustments based on real-time bodily feedback. This could lead to improper form or overexertion, increasing the risk of injury, especially for high-intensity or heavy-strength workouts.